China/Vietnam/United States/South China Sea: Vietnam Backs Latest US Challenge to Beijing’s Sovereignty in South China Sea, Say Analysts

Feb 3, 2016 | Kristine Kwok, South China Morning Post
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Washington may claim its latest operation in the South China Sea was aimed at challenging Vietnamese territorial claims in the region as much as China’s, but analysts say Hanoi is likely to have viewed the development positively. The USS Curtis Wilbur sailed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island in the Paracel archipelago on Saturday, attracting immediate protest from Beijing, which claims and controls the area.